I must disagree with the article regarding the reason for Gene Masuda’s support in District 4.

I went door-to-door in support of Jill Fosselman and spoke to many people. Those that told me that they were voting for Mr. Masuda were impressed that he sought their support by coming to their home. Mr. Masuda was lucky to have the time over the years to go door-to-door to meet voters privately.

Of all the people that I met in District 4 during this campaign, not one person said anything negative about Mayor Bill Bogaard and the Pasadena City Council’s stance on development or of their support of Jill Fosselman.

I understand that Mr. Masuda refused situations where he would be faced to speak publicly such as the League of Women Voters request for a debate, for an appearance at the Monte Vista Grove Homes and the Crown City News when his opponent Ms. Fosselman would be present. He also refused a request by the Lower Hastings Ranch Association for a coffee because there would be one the next night for Jill Fosselman.

It appears he chose to not be in an unscripted situation where he would be compared to his opponent and the strategy worked.

Marian Dorsett-Leos

Pasadena

A free hand

Though many would enjoy watching our dear departed Forest Supervisor held to account, it serves no purpose to vilify the individuals who made the arguably incorrect decisions at the beginning of the Station Fire.

But if those early fire management decisions were made because of the cost of using Los Angeles County Fire Department, then the existing policy and authority to act must change.

County Fire was ready to attack the fire early on. County, engineers, fire crews and pilots waited to be unleashed.

If cost instead of caution was the deciding reason why County Fire personnel were restrained, then policy and authority must change to one that gives the local agency a free hand to use their resources, on federal land, when they deem it necessary.

John Grancich

Altadena

Roll back spending

A recent letter-writer once again blamed George W. Bush for our burgeoning debt and the sorry state of our economy. Is there any statute of limitations for those on the left to stop blaming Bush?

Obama has added $3 trillion to our national debt, and is running the largest deficit-to-GDP ratio since World War II. Rather than working to restore fiscal sanity, he poured gasoline on the fire with a new trillion-dollar health care entitlement, even as Medicare and Medicaid are bankrupting states and the nation.

Republicans don’t want to “mangle” these entitlement programs. They want to reform them so they can continue to exist.

Obama’s $500 billion cut to Medicare – by cutting reimbursements to doctors and hospitals – mangles that program far worse than anything Republicans have proposed.

Bush raised spending more than many conservatives would have liked, but he is not even in the same league as Obama.

It is time to get federal spending back under control and to its pre-Obama level of 19 percent of GDP from the current 25 percent of GDP. The country is waiting for presidential leadership.

Harris Hall

Pasadena

Caught napping

First Wisconsin teachers, then air traffic controllers, then Vice President Al Biden – all public employees and all missing or asleep at the job!

Nobody fired!

Ken Edelson

Pasadena

Brown caters to unions

In reference to your recent editorial: “Our View, Brown is back to business as usual:”

Did you really expect anything less? He has been bought by greedy, corrupt unions and trial lawyers. Union greed has destroyed much of private industry (auto, steel, ship building, etc.) or driven it offshore in order to survive.

If we trace the decline of educational excellence in this country it goes back to when unions were put in charge of education. Given time, unions and liberals destroy everything they touch.

Union membership has declined in private industry because they could no longer feed their greed and stay in business. Now unions are taking over all levels of government and are in the process of bankrupting them along with us taxpayers.

As long as liberals keep raising taxes to buy votes and feed union greed the system will work until enough taxpayers wake to the realization that they were being stiffed while their governments go bankrupt.

As I recall, it was Jerry Brown who invited unions to take over our state government. It is naive to expect this political hack to do anything about the outrageous wages, benefits and retirement benefits extorted by unions. We may see a few Band-Aids placed to appear as though something is being done to correct the problems, but as the article stated, “It is business as usual.”

Rodger Rother

Pasadena

Take them to court

The ever-increasing price of gasoline at the pumps is a crime. We must find ways to get back at the oil companies for the high-price crime that they are committing.

One idea is to some how boycott a week of not purchasing their gas and show them that we, the working class, have rights and power.

Another idea is for all of us drivers get together and put our money together and hire a lawyer and take them to court.

Rich Pena

La Verne

Into enemy hands

In regards to the maternity tourists: I have worked in a facility in the San Gabriel Valley and have seen women flying in about two weeks before delivery and then returning to their respective countries.

How many times have we heard how patient al-Qaida is. And who can say if these children are not raised to hate the United States, only to return and become leaders working against us.

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